Despite the unexpected turn that my senior year took, in some ways it has been a blessing in disguise.
The considerably lower amount of stress and lack of a hectic schedule have allowed me to relax and think about things that have been shoved to the back of my mind.
In the time that I’ve been off, I’ve been able to rekindle my faith in unexpected ways. I’ve read a few Catholic books, watched various Catholic speakers via online video conferences and spent more time in prayer and journaling.
I’ve also found the Divine Mercy Chaplet to be very spiritually grounding in my daily life. It’s actually a funny story of how I happened upon the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
I follow Steve Angrisano on social media and every “Mercy” Monday he sings the Chaplet via a livestream video. I had seen the notification pop up for the video on my phone and had listened to it as background music once, but really nothing more than that. Then one day as I was reading Follow by Catholic author Katie Prejean-McGrady, she told a story about meeting her husband after praying the Divine Mercy Novena that began on Good Friday.
Now, I am not in particular need of a husband just yet, but I was having a spiritual dip due to the coronavirus. Coincidentally, the day I read this particular passage was Holy Thursday. God’s timing is impeccable.
Naturally, I took this as a sign, prayed the novena, and have been praying it ever since.
It has served as a comfort in my daily life: a reminder that God is always there. Even though COVID-19 threw a wrench in my plans, God had his plan too. He was just waiting for me to see it.
MOLLY YONKER | SACRED HEART ACADEMY, MT. PLEASANT
CLASS OF 2020